Last Thursday, after using the car for work, I needed a bike ride and after checking the events on Zwift, I picked a group ride at the right grade – E (open).
My previous rides (group rides mainly Wobble Cycle Club) have been at grade E, which is open, to all but tend to be fairly easy usually up to around 1.5 Watts per kilogram (w/kg).
The ride I chose on Thursday was advertised as an E and was fairly easy covering nineteen miles (including cool down) in 1:10:00.
The following day, I upped my game and picked a category D group ride rated between 1.8 and 2.0 w/kg. A bit above my usual but I thought that I’d give it a try. I lined up with about forty others and when the countdown reached zero, we were off. Unfortunately, most were off ahead of me.
I was soon aware that I was the last rider but cracked on. I was messaged and asked if I were okay but try as I might, I couldn’t catch up with the peloton. I was told that if I ended the ride, I could re-join and be dropped into the middle of the pack. The going was a bit too much for me, anyway, so I declined after covering a couple of miles.
I had another look at the events and noticed another ride starting in a couple of minutes. It was on my favourite course, Yorkshire, so I clicked to join. It was then that I noticed that I’d just chosen to ride a race !
Zwift Categories
- Category A: 4.0 w/kg FTP or higher
- Category B: 3.2 w/kg to 4.0 w/kg FTP
- Category C: 2.5 w/kg to 3.2 w/kg FTP
- Category D: Under 2.5 w/kg FTP
Oh well. As it wasn’t a group ride, I wouldn’t have to keep up and I could go at my own pace.
I lined up gentling spinning until the start.
I tried to start a bit quicker than before but soon found myself in seventh position (out of ten). I cycled around, pushing it more than I would normally (especially up the long uphill sections) and managed to finish in fifth position in my category.
It was hard work, averaging 1.8 w/kg. I even had to wipe the sweat off the bike afterwards !
AN added bonus (aren’t all bonuses extra?) was that my functional threshold power (ftp) had been increased.
What is ftp ?
FTP is short for Functional Threshold Power. It’s the most commonly-used metric of fitness for cyclists, and measures the maximum power you can hold for longer durations. Going above your FTP will result in blood lactate levels increasing until you “blow up”, but if you’re fresh and well-fueled you should be able to ride at FTP for anywhere from 40-60 minutes.
In theory, that means that I’m getting stronger and / or able to ride longer – Oh Yeah !
Racing – Take 2
I fancied a ride the next day but I couldn’t find a social ride so decided to try the same race as yesterday.
Again, I ended up near the back but with a couple of riders behind me.
Somewhere around half way, L.Cobos dropped out leaving only one rider slower.
During the second half, o.fernando carollo (Otavio) caught me and we rode together for the rest of the event.
The race ended at the top of a 4% climbed and somehow I managed to put on a spurt and pip Otavio to the line, beating him by one second !
I was a little slower than the previous attempt (49:00 against 48:19) but with only three category D riders, today, I was awarded a silver cup !
My companion didn’t take it too badly and we thanked each other for a good ride.